February 15, 1905

To Kharyton.

15. II. 05.

Dear friend! Thank you for your letters.

By all means continue in the same spirit, but here is one more thing: 1) never limit yourselves to writing summaries of the letters or communications passed to you, but be sure [to] forward them in their *entirety* (except your own letters); 2) you must link us *directly* with new forces, with youth, with fresh circles. Do not forget that the strength of a revolutionary organization lies in the number of its connections. By the number of new Russian connections transmitted to us we must judge the capacity and results of our friends' work. Up to now all the Petersburg comrades (shame on them!) have not given us a single new Russian connection (neither Serafima [S. N. Afanasyeva], nor Sverdlov [A. A. Bogdanov], nor Zemlyachka, nor Nikolai Ivanovich [I. Kh. Lalayantz]. This is a scandal, this is a disaster, this is a collapse! Learn from the Mensheviks, for Christ's sake. In issue 85 of *Iskra* 2) there are countless correspondences. Why, you read *Vpered* to the youth—so why didn't you establish us with any connections from that youth?? Remember that if you fail us, we are done for, so long as you have not acquired for us a dozen new, young, loyal friends of *Vpered* who know how to work, who know how to conduct relations, who will be able to correspond even without you. Remember this!! A professional revolutionary must create dozens of new connections in each place, put all the work directly in their hands, teach them and develop them not through lectures but through work. Then move to another place and return in a month or two to check on the young replacements. I assure you that among us there exists some sort of idiotic, Philistine, Oblomovian fear of youth. I beseech you: fight this fear with all your strength.

Your Lenin. *)

*) The letter was printed in "Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya" No. 4 (39), 1925, p. 25.

2) The entire issue 85 of *Iskra* from February 9 (January 27), 1905 is devoted to the events of January 9. Many correspondences from the provinces: Yekaterinoslav, Kiev, Rostov, Saratov, Sormovo, Warsaw, and others.